Oh, okay. I knew about the whole program for going straight to work, going to school for another two years (learning a trade as my German professor said), or going off to university. I had never heard of the GSCE before.

There is a place that kind of makes my previous high school and ones around here similar to your programs. We have something called BOCES, which is a place kids can go for half the day and take a specified class in something like design, mechanics, etc. All of our classes at the school itself though are not as specified.

It really stinks because at larger high schools, you're usually able to pick your classes, but my school was small (graduating class of 63 or so and kindergarten through 12th in one building), so we didn't even get to pick any classes except for being able to take band or chorus during a time when everyone else would have a study hall.

OneEye589 wrote:What the hell is GSCE and triple science? My high school was a small public school, so we didn't have much of a choice in classes, only the core classes for each subject every year and then we could choose one art or technology class. Junior and senior year of high school we got to pick between the regular core classes or taking higher levels of the basic courses, but they counted as college credits through the local college.

GCSE is the standard UK grading system - we all take our GCSE's (Or "O" levels in the case of Warhead - I think) at the age of 16 when we finish school.

School in the UK is odd compared to the US system - so I'll just give you a brief.

We can start as young as 2 with Nursery - which is the equivalent of you're Kindergarden (which If I remember right, starts at 7)

That continues up until junior school - which starts at age 5 - and then continues up until the age of 11, these years in the school system are known as "Years" One through six respectively.

After that - You move up to secondary school - which I think is the equivalent of you're High school - and thats from age 11 to 16. During this time - for the first three years (up until whats known as Year nine - yep they continue counting up) all students take standard course modules, english, maths, science, the works - and for the last two, we pick our own modules, In my case - Art and Design, Design Technology and Double Science (which is double the work of regular science for double the grade - take a wild guess at triple science ) and we take standardised examinations in every subject at the end of this period, aged 16. These exams are known as "GCSE's"

After this, things get fuzzy - you can either

- Continue into a "Sixth form" which is basically another two years of school.- Continue into "College" which you can carry on with right up until you're 21 - and in some cases, even older - and is a more subject centric system, usually focusing on two to four "Core" classes a week in you're chosen subject.- Go directly into work.

At any point, after the age of 18 however, you can continue into University - which is the equivalent (of you're fuzzy terms) of college - a major educational institution which the students live in (in halls or dorms) for three years while working acedemially on a degree - and after that we can choose to either move into work, or continue onto a Masters degree (with another two years of learning, and a major skill under you're belt) and then into work - or onto a PHD - which would effectively make you a "Doctor" in the subject (not an actual medical doctor though - unless you took medicine as your educational path! ).

Long story short - we start earlier than most americans, we learn more intensively and with greater speed than most americans - and are classed as adults in the eyes of the law before most americans. Not to say that either system is right or wrong - But If I was in the american system - I would only have half of my qualifications that I have right now, and would be widely regarded as a college bum because I keep returning to education.

GCS£s (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are taken from earliest 13 - 16. Then you can do AS (Additional Studies). After that you do A levels (Advanced) from 16 - 18. Many of us in the UK who are in Yr9 -Yr11 appear to be/have done GCS£s a year earlier.

Some children at my school are doing the triple science, other than that nothings early.
Going into your first GCSE in early year 9 isn't scarely, comeing out of the exam and waiting for the reasults which take ****ing ages is.

Last edited by muffinman42 on Sun Jan 31, 2010 2:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.

AP classes in the United States are SUPPOSEDLY college-level classes, but they aren't really. Then you go to college with AP courses under your belt, you can get rid of some of the requirements for classes you would have to take to get your degree.